Sojourn
Shelter and Services, Inc. was founded in 1975 with a goal to provide a
safe place to help victims of domestic violence. Sojourn currently
provides 24-hour emergency shelter and hotline services, court
advocacy, prevention, education, volunteer opportunities and operates
Sojourn Westside Fashions. Sojourn is funded through state and federal
grants, as well as donations from the community. Each year, Sojourn
assists approximately 1,600 victims of domestic violence and their
children.

Central
Illinois Foodbank collects and distributes food and grocery items to
over 160 charitable agencies in 21 Illinois counties. In addition to
their partnerships with those various agencies, they are proud to host
the Kids Cafe program. Kids Cafe is a nation-wide program through
Feeding America that feeds children a hot, nutritious meal in a safe
environment.

Wish List:

Canned fruit & vegetables

Canned meat

Peanut butter

Cereal

Chili

Beef stew

Pasta & canned pasta sauce

Soup

Macaroni & cheese

Rice

Soap

Toilet paper

Laundry soap

Shampoo

Diapers

Toothpaste

Forever Home Feline Ranch3600 Persimmon Dr., 679-1593

Forever
Home Feline Ranch is an organization created to provide a “forever
home” to every cat in need. The ranch is a sanctuary where cats have a
second chance to live a full life in a no-cage, no-kill environment. At
the present time, while raising funds for property, the group is
assisting local residents in keeping their companion pets by providing
programs such as the Pet Food Bank and Vet Care Assistance (includes
dogs). Helping people keep their companion pets is the best way to keep
animals out of shelters and will help achieve their ultimate goal of
establishing central Illinois as a no-kill community.

Raffle items such as gift certificates, gift baskets or any items to put in baskets

Animal Protective League1001 Taintor Rd., 544-7387

The
Animal Protective League operates a no-kill shelter for abandoned,
abused, sick and injured cats and dogs. In 2009, APL has taken in 1,800
animals and found homes for 1,600 of them. In April 2006, APL opened a
high-quality, high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter clinic that has
performed 28,000 surgeries to reduce cat and dog over-population.

The
Salvation Army has been in Springfield since 1886. Over 90% of their
funding comes from individual donations, and over half their operating
budget is funded by their red kettles that run from the first weekend
in November until Christmas Eve. The Salvation Army offers clothing,
food and shelter, and their homeless shelter is open year round, 24
hours a day. They offer counseling; job assistance; computer training;
youth programs; senior programs; free health clinic; Sunday worship
services; Bible study; Christmas assistance, including food, coats and
toys; and also provide alcohol and drug rehabilitation. When funds are
available they offer rent and utility assistance.

Wish list:

Canned food - meat, vegetables, fruit

Clothing

Office supplies - paper, pens, etc.

Pillows

Sheets

Blankets

Soap

Toothpaste

Deodorant

Hygiene products

Razor and shaving cream

Cleaning supplies

Meals for shelter residents

Volunteer bell ringers

Volunteers at their Christmas Castle

Volunteers at their Corps

Gift cards from any store, including gas stations

Springfield Area Arts Council420 S. Sixth St., 753-3519

The
Springfield Area Arts Council, founded in 1976, works to “enrich the
community by promoting and supporting all art forms and providing
creative opportunities to participate in and enjoy the arts.” The
council serves over 20,000 adults and youths in Sangamon and Menard
counties, and provides a variety of annual performing and visual arts
events, such as First Night Springfield, Washington Street Jazz &
Blues Festival and the ongoing Uptown Friday Night and Artist on the
Plaza. The council’s arts programming includes placing performing and
visual artists in the schools though its Arts-in-Education program and
hosting the regional and state contests for Poetry Out Loud, a program
for high school students based on the recitation of poetic works. The
council also serves as a re-granting agency for funding area artists,
arts organizations and social service agencies with arts programming.

Wish list:

Volunteers for First Night Springfield on Dec. 31 and other activities

The
CICBC is a not-for-profit organization originally formed in 1971 by St.
John’s Hospital and Memorial Medical Center to provide the blood needs
of their hospitals, and now 19 hospitals in central and southwestern
Illinois. This involves blood collections through the hundreds of
Bloodmobile drives held throughout the area. Donor recruiters work with
area organizations to schedule blood drives and to communicate with
existing blood donors to meet routine blood needs through regular blood
donations.

Wish list:First and foremost, their wish
is for good health for everyone. To reach that goal, they need help
from the community. They constantly need new donors — to be prepared
for emergencies that may arise and to replace their regular donors when
they are ill, traveling or must be deferred for various reasons.

To
assure that this area always has an adequate blood supply for friends,
neighbors and family members throughout the area who may need it for a
trauma, cancer treatment or other medical procedure, their wish is that
more healthy donors would commit to regular blood donation. It is safe,
easy and takes only about an hour every two months, and this volunteer
activity saves lives of patients in area hospitals.

Habitat for Humanity of Sangamon County1514 West Jefferson, 523-2710

Habitat
for Humanity of Sangamon County is a community-driven nonprofit
organization that develops working partnerships with local businesses,
churches, community organizations and other individuals to build
simple, decent and affordable housing for all people in need. Since its
founding in 1989, Habitat for Humanity of Sangamon County has built 79
houses in the local community while providing shelter for more than 300
individuals.

Wish list:Readers can help fulfill
Habitat’s wish list by donating to the Habitat ReStore and by
spending their holiday shopping dollars in the ReStore to purchase new
furniture, housewares, holiday décor, lighting, rugs,
flooring,etc. at great savings over retail. Proceeds help to fund
their mission to provide affordable housing in Sangamon County. The
ReStore is open Monday though Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday 9
a.m. – 5 p.m. Also, cash donations are needed to fund 2010 housing
projects

Formed
in 1999, M.E.R.C.Y. (Mentors, Empowerment and Resources for Change in
Young families) Communities fulfills its mission of providing housing
and supportive services to foster the independence of homeless and
at-risk families through the provision of four programs: the flagship
program is two years of transitional living with follow up aftercare
services, designed for female-headed households in which mom needs to
develop further education, job and daily living skills in order to
become self-sufficient; permanent supportive housing for disabled heads
of households with children for the purpose of helping families with
special needs to remain intact and stable in housing; and income-tested
affordable housing for very low-income families. In 2009, M.E.R.C.Y.
has served 30 moms and 52 children. This year they are increasing to 32
units of housing.

United Cerebral Palsy Land of Lincoln101 North 16th Street, Suite 5; 525-6522

United
Cerebral Palsy Land of Lincoln was founded in 1957 by a group of
community leaders and parents of children with cerebral palsy.
The first program offered by UCP was a school for children with
cerebral palsy that operated in a church basement. UCP Children’s
Services is in need of additional toys for their toy lending library.
This program helps disabled children practice and learn new skills
through play. A play specialist visits the child’s home and
creates an individualized service plan with goals for the child to work
on.Goals are written specifically for each child’s needs, and can
include any of the following: fine and gross motor skills,
developmental skills, speech and communication skills and social
skills.Children with disabilities may not fit into the age range
listed on a toy, and this program helps eliminate the guess
work.To find out which toys are needed, please call Ashley at
525-6522 or email her at amt11@hotmail.com.

Wish List:

Toys that have music and lights

Toys such as puzzles with knobs and blocks with pieces to practice fine motor skills

Games are great for targetingsocial skills

Learning toyswith components, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition

Toys in the age ranges ofbirth to 8 years old

Grace Lutheran Church714 E. Capitol Ave., 522-3965

For
over 40 years, the Grace Lutheran Church Food Pantry has provided food
for the families of Springfield. The all-volunteer pantry serves over
1,500 individuals monthly with support from sister congregations and
local organizations. Out of the food pantry ministry has grown the
Grace Lutheran Church Holiday Food Basket Project. Volunteers assemble
food baskets three times a year to assist families at Thanksgiving,
Christmas and Easter. The all-volunteer program is currently
coordinated by Caroline Guy, a freshman at Springfield High
School. Other churches also participate in the project.
Recipients are referred by the parent educators and staff of two middle
schools, three elementary schools, and Lutheran Children & Family
Services Foster families, and local ELCA congregations. The Christmas
baskets will serve another 150 families.

Wish list:

Mashed potatoes

Stuffing

Macaroni and cheese

Cake mix

Frosting

Canned sweet potatoes

Canned fruit

Canned green beans

Soup

Gravy

Pork and beans

Cranberry jelly

Jelly

Peanut butter

Cereal

Jell-O

Corn bread mix

Canned corn, peas, carrots

Fresh celery

Fresh carrots

Margarine

Bread

Ham

Milk

Cereal

Readers
may adopt a basket, give a smaller gift that will be greatly
appreciated or drop off donations of the non-perishable foods listed
above between 9:00 and 3:00, Monday through Friday at Grace Lutheran
Church.

Springfield YMCA701 South 4th St., 544-9846

The
Springfield YMCA was established in 1874 and has continuously served
the Springfield area for 135 years. It began as an organization
serving boys and young men, but over the years has broadened its
services and target population to meet the changing needs of the
community. The Springfield YMCA has helped to strengthen its
community through inclusive programs that encourage healthy lifestyles
and Judeo-Christian values. The YMCA has earned a well-deserved
reputation as a thriving, responsive organization that evolves to meet
the emerging needs of those it serves.

Member satisfaction volunteer – develop, implement and report member satisfaction survey and results

Haitian Development Fund4043 Guilford Dr., 546-6360

The Haitian Development Fund was founded in June of 2002 and supports the Sarthe Neighborhood Medical Clinic in inner city Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

In
addition, HDF offers five, scholarships for elementary education. The
Healthy Mother-Baby Program is a program designed for first time
pregnant mothers and is education and health based. Each woman in the
program receives services, goods, vitamins and food amounting to $250.

Wish List:

Cash or checks so they can transport goods and medicine to Haiti.

Sparc232 Bruns Ln., 792-2100

Sparc’s
many programs for developmentally disabled adults do just what their
mission entails: improve the quality of their lives. These
programs include residential support, supported living, developmental
training, respite, supported employment, family support and the
Epilepsy Support Center.

Wish List:

Educational
games for adults with developmental disabilities Please check out the
website www.MindWare.com or call 1-800-999-0398. These
games range in price from $15.95 to $29.95.

Angel
Tree – Sparc’s Angel Tree is in their office lobby. Please stop
by and take an ornament with the name, age and gender of a special
needs individual, and purchase holiday gift items for that person.

Prairie
Center provides support for victims of sexual assault and their
families, and serves as a resource for the larger community on issues
relating to sexual assault and child sexual abuse. Their mission
is threefold: to support and advocate for men, women, children and
families who are affected by rape and child sexual assault; to offer
compassion and ensure justice for victims; and to reduce the prevalence
of sexual assault in the community, with a vision to create, through
leadership and action, a community that is free of sexual violence.

Wish list:

Journals

Angels or inspirational stones/trinket items that clients can hold in their hand while testifying in court

Personal care services- massage, haircut, manicures, yoga, etc

Gift Cards- coffee shop, restaurants, book stores, gas, etc.

Clothing
for Survivors to wear home from the E.R: *Specifically— New non-logo
adult and youth shirts, sweatshirts, sweat pants, and shorts in neutral
colors (grey, black, tan, white) in all sizes. New flip flops (sandals)
in all sizes. New women’s, girls, and boys underwear in neutral
colors (grey, black, tan, white) in all sizes.

In-Kind Printing- for newsletters, special events and community trainings.

Sponsors for 2010 Walk a Mile In Her Shoes event scheduled for April 17, 2010.

Financial support for the “Hug Away The Hurt” children’s project.

PCASA
Logo items- pens, bags, water bottles, stress-ease balls and safety
whistles to circulate at schools and during community events.

Walk
A Mile In Her Shoes Committee Members- This committee plans and
implements the organization’s annual Walk a Mile In Her Shoes
fundraising and awareness event in April.

Raffle Items- gift certificates, electronic items, gift baskets, etc.

In-Kind Website Design- PCASA is in need of a website makeover.

Bus Tokens/Passes and Taxi Vouchers

Crisis Accommodations- Hotel gift certificates and/or vouchers to provide a short term safe place for victims of sexual assault.

Mini O’Beirne Crisis Nursery1011 N. 7th St., 525-6800

Started
in 1989 with a mission to prevent child abuse and neglect, the Mini
O’Beirne Crisis Nursery provides free emergency, temporary care, 24
hours a day, 365 days a year, for children from birth through age 6,
who may be at risk of abuse or neglect or whose parents are
experiencing some type of crisis. In addition to crisis care, the
nursery offers continuing support to families, in-home visits, crisis
counseling, parenting classes, and referrals to other agencies.

Formed
in 1925, Catholic Charities of Springfield serves thousands of
individuals and families each year through eight programs: St. John’s
Breadline, Crisis Assistance and Advocacy, MedAssist Program, Holy
Family Food Pantry, St. Clare’s Health Clinic, Adoption Services,
Foster Care and the Intact Family program.

Wish list:

Monetary support to cover general operating costs

Chest freezer for the pantry

Turkeys for Thanksgiving baskets

Emergency medication (financial contributions to help cover medications for those in need)

New phone system for the crisis office and Pantry, cost around $4,000

Carpet and padding for two foster care, parent/child visiting rooms

Toothbrushes for preschool, school age and adults – St. Clare’s Health Clinic

Sample toothpastes (for children under age 6) – St. Clare’s Health Clinic

AT 555auto non-contact tonometer and table and hand-held tono-penavia for St. Clare’s vision program, cost $11,000